Right Back at You

Gr 4-8–Twelve-year-old Mason has been instructed by his therapist, Barb, to write a letter about his unhappy life to “anybody or nobody,” so he writes a letter to Albert Einstein and hides it in his closet. Mason is distraught by his parents’ recent separation and the relentless bullying he’s getting at school. Much to his surprise, he finds his closet letter gone, with a letter to him in its place, supposedly from a girl named Talia in 1987. Talia is also 12, also a baseball lover, and is dealing with her own middle school worries including being ditched by her best friend and getting teased for being half-Jewish. Initially skeptical, both Talia and Mason come to believe they’re in a wormhole, time-travel situation. While not Jewish, Mason lives in New York City and knows many Jewish people, so he and Talia bond over discussions of antisemitism, bullying, parental issues, and sibling difficulties. Mackler (Not If I Can Help It) imbues humor throughout, such as Mason trying to explain Google, Amazon, and smartphones to a confused Talia. As the preteens’ friendship grows, they find more in common than they originally thought, and help each other with their respective issues.